business letters for busy people

Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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Notifying Customers of a Move

Notify customers of a move and assure them that the move

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either will not affect them or will be advantageous to them.

this template

Marco Paper Clips

P.O. Box 22 • Marquette, MI 49855

May 4, 20XX

K.J. Wasserman

City Business Supply

763 C. St. S.W.

Columbia, MO 65205

Dear Mr. Wasserman:

On July 1, 20XX, Marco Paper Clips will be moving to Des

Announcement

Moines, Iowa. This move should greatly benefit your company.

11

We are excited about the move to Des Moines. Our move will

Elaboration

help you receive shipments more quickly. It will also reduce the

cost of shipping to Marco, and we can pass those savings on to

you. Des Moines’ larger labor market also allows us to expand

Benefits

our facilities and product line. We feel this will definitely benefit

our customers.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns. Our new

Summary

address in Des Moines will be: Marco Paper Clips,

3567 Grandview, Des Moines, IA 54421. Our toll-free number

Contact Information

will be 800-BUY-CLIP.

Sincerely,

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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Holiday Greetings

This letter is used to send holiday greetings to your customers.

It is preferable to use personal stationery or a notecard especially

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designed for the situation.

this template

Flatt Tire Co.

223 Nueva Matica • Santa Cruz, CA 95066

December 5, 20XX

Dear Mr. Brown:

Flatt Tire Co. would like to wish you and your employees the

Greetings

very best this holiday season. We hope that your establishment

has been blessed with exceptional customers, as we have.

We are most fortunate to have customers like Glendale Amoco

Elaboration

11

(optional)

and hope that during this coming New Year we can continue our

relationship. We know our prosperity depends on our customers.

Thank you for helping make Flatt Tire Co. one of the leaders in

Thank You

Southern California. Our fondest regards for all of you at

Goodwill

Glendale Amoco.

Happy Holidays,

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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Notification of Complaints

This letter asks for a solution to a complaint of faulty

merchandise but ends on a business-as-usual note to maintain

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the professional contact.

this template

PAM’S PARTY GIFTS

P.O. Box 8473

Torrance, CA 90502

April 18, 20XX

Delta Novelty Company

3217 SW 31st St.

Topeka, KS 66614

SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR CREDIT IN ACCOUNT

Reason Request

(specific)

The case of Hippity Holiday Bunnies that I purchased from

your

Details

11

company do not hop. I am, therefore, returning them to you

and

requesting that you credit my account the amount charged plus

shipping.

The Hippity Holiday Bunnies which arrived at my store had

Enclosure

faulty mechanisms which caused them to fall over instead of hop

— as promised in your sales brochure. Because I plan on selling

through my line of seasonal items within the next three weeks, I

wish my account to be issued a credit instead of you replacing the

faulty merchandise. Please find enclosed the copies of your

Agreement

invoice, #1342, in the amount of $36 and my invoice for shipping

charges of $2.95.

Your quality products have always sold well in my store, and I

Request

look forward to seeing your new line of fall items as soon as

(general)

they are available. In the meantime, your prompt attention to this

matter is appreciated.

Martha Sacks

Enc.

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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In this letter, the writer assumes part of the responsibility, but

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states clearly what is expected in the future.

this template

7136 Dartmouth Ave. (2E)

St. Louis, MO 63130-3008

May 28, 20XX

Bethany Smith

Ralph’s Restaurant

22nd & Market

St. Louis, MO 63103

Dear Ms. Smith:

I am writing because of my disappointment with the choice of

Purpose

dessert served to the League of Successful Professionals at our

dinner meeting May 23. I do not believe that popsicles are an

11

appropriate dessert at a business gathering such as ours.

The quality of the food and service at our meetings is generally

Agreement

very good. This is the reason we continue to use your facilities,

and why I was surprised by the dessert. I may not have been

specific enough when we reviewed the menu. Though we

discussed in detail the items to be included on the dinner buffet,

dessert was simply defined in our contract as “a frozen ice cream

Responsibility

item to be served individually.” I should have been more detailed

(shared)

in my request.

Please see that I am given a specific menu for our July meeting

Request

by June 25 so that I may review it before signing the service

contract. This will help avoid any future misunderstandings.

Sincerely,

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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This letter requests a solution to the complaint. The letter

backs up the request with documentation of the problem and a

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specific date for it to be resolved.

this template

A-1 Merchandise Supply Company

P.O. Box 1276

Grandview, MO 64030

May 29, 20XX

Taylor Jackson

Jackson Roofing Contractors

P.O. Box 5692

Grandview, MO 64031

RE: Roof repair, invoice #1724, March 11, 20XX

Dear Mr. Jackson:

The roof, which you repaired in March, continues to leak along

Reason Request

11

the south wall of our overstock merchandise storage area. Please

repair the roof by June 1, 20XX, without charge, as stated in your

two-year guarantee.

Bill Wagstone, a repairman with your company, has examined the

Details

roof and informed me that the new seals placed between the roof

and the surrounding brick walls were not properly installed. Mr.

Wagstone has advised me that the roof will continue to leak until

this problem is corrected.

Fortunately, before the last storm, we were able to move the

Details

merchandise out of the area before any damage was done. My

company cannot afford the loss of this storage space, however, so

all additional repairs must be completed by June l.

Please contact me the week of May 25 so that I will know when

to expect your roofers.

Request

Sincerely,

Signature

Anne Smith

President

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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This letter asks a shopkeeper to act on the request

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of neighbors.

this template

The Itty Bitty Shoppe

1934 Longan • Bartlesville, OK 74006

February 15, 20XX

Patricia Wolfe

1936 Longan

Bartlesville, OK 74006

Dear Ms. Wolfe:

The cold weather season approaches, and I would like to inform

Introduction

you that all shopkeepers are expected to keep the walk in front of

11

their stores free of snow. Five other merchants, myself included,

have had a problem with your lack of responsibility in this matter.

Request

It inconveniences customers and merchants alike.

Please help us keep the walk free of snow during the winter

Background

months by clearing off the area in front of your store.

Until now, we have taken care of our own space — and when a

Reason

neighbor needed help, we all pitched in. This year we are

reminding you — before the shovels are all sold and the salt is all

used — that everyone is expected to keep the sidewalk in front of

his or her store free of snow and ice. This is not only for ease of

walking, but also for safety.

Thanks from your neighbors and the customers who come by on

Goodwill

snow days!

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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This letter notifies a business of a complaint.

this template

JRD, Inc.

P.O. Box 6864

Mission, Kansas 66202

December 12, 20XX

Mr. Anton Drissler, General Manager

Scripps

4732 Pennslyvania

Kansas City, MO 64112

Dear Mr. Drissler:

I am writing about the facilities, food and service at the holiday

Reason

dinner JRD Corporation gave for its employees on Tuesday

evening, December 11, at Scripps.

First, Ballroom B was much too cold for comfortable dining —

Negatives

with several very strong drafts along the west wall. Audio sys-

tems at parties in Ballrooms A and C were loud and distracting

11

for our entertainers as well as our guests.

Second, the food service was extremely poor — we had

Specific Details

contracted for dinner at 6:30 p.m., and the first guests were not

served until 8 p.m. The main course was cold; our ice cream

dessert was melted.

Third, there was no one available from Sales and Catering to

Solution

offer help, and those we talked to at the front desk were “not

responsible.”

In order to repair the situation, please reduce our room rent and

Appreciation of

food bill by one-half; I have enclosed our agreement with the

Resolution

original total. And please, always have a representative from

Sales and Catering in attendance at any future function hosted by

JRD at Scripps.

For over 10 years, JRD has hosted many occasions in your hotel.

In light of our long professional association, I appreciate your

resolution of this matter.

Sincerely,

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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This letter gives notification of a claim for damages made

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during an office move.

this template

TIMBER Manufacturing

P.O. Box 5557

Atlanta, GA 30329

April 29, 20XX

Mr. Richard Lyons, President

Great Movers

P.O. Box 5748

Atlanta, GA 30327

Dear Mr. Lyons:

This is to notify you of our claim for damaged goods against

Purpose

Great Movers. On April 27, Timber Manufacturing moved its

Details

office from 12224 Grand to 22455 McGee. The order number

with Great Movers was #89648.

As the furniture was unloaded and placed in the new office, I

Reasons

11

discovered a 12-inch scratch along the front of an enameled

cabinet (enclosed picture). I plan on having the damage to this

expensive piece repaired immediately and have enclosed five cost

estimates for the work. All are rather close in price, but I prefer

using Addison’s as they have done repairs for me in the past and

Decision

guarantee their work. Addison’s estimate to repair the enameled

cabinet is $750.00.

My contract with you covers loss or damage to $1,000. Please

Solution

send your check for repairing the damage ($750) to:

Donald J. Bilyeu

President

Timber Manufacturing

P.O. Box 5557

Atlanta, GA 30329

Sincerely,

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Business Letters for Busy People

Customer Relations Letters

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Checklist

• Did you use a positive tone?

• Does the letter make the customer feel like he is valu-

able?

• Did you introduce the topic of the letter in the first part?

• Did you include all of the necessary details for the cus-

tomer?

• Did you include a telephone number, if appropriate, so

the client can reach you?

• Did you offer a solution to the problem?

• Did you take the initiative in the letter for the action you

desire?

• Did you include all background information or details

necessary in the second part of the letter so the client

understands the letter?

11

• Did you summarize, thank or apologize again in the last

part of the letter?

• If you received the letter, how would you feel?

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Business Letters for Busy People

Media Letters

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• Media Event Letter — Anniversary

12

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